After the MV Agusta Brutale 675 spy shot turned up yesterday, we went browsing in the company’s media database to find out if, perhaps, it was one of those officially distributed “spy” shots that are all the rage right now. We couldn’t find any more images of that new bike, but our sleuthing did turn up an uncataloged photo cache on the original modern MV, the F4 Serie Oro. Here those images are, 2500px wide so you can save wallpapers.

Released in 1999 at a price of $57,000, the Serie Oro was the first product of a reborn MV. That price was justified not only by the limited production run of 300 units, but also by exotic materials that wouldn’t make their way to the regular production F4. The swingarm, pivot plates and wheels, for example, were made from lightweight magnesium and painted gold to reflect the “Oro” name. Every painted part, the fairing, seat unit, fender, etc, is carbon fiber. Brakes are massive six-piston Nissin calipers at the front and an unprecedented four-pistons at the rear.

The story goes that this design was originally penned by Massimo Tamburini as a successor to his epoch-defining Ducati 916, but when that company was sold to TPG, he then adapted this as the new look for MV Agusta. Producing only 126bhp at the crank, the 750cc exotic was matched in performance by the much cheaper Suzuki GSX-R750, an unflattering comparison that failed to take into account the sheer beauty and detailed craftsmanship of the Italian bike.